That Thing About Love


The moment the bell of his apartment rang, Natsu froze.

He shifted his gaze between the door, meters away, and the blue cat looking back at him with attentive black eyes.

Quickly, he grabbed the animal and threw it to his bathroom before closing the door. He knew Happy would fall on his feet, after all.

He ran towards the door, where the person kept knocking.

Anyways, who the fuck would come to annoy-

"Hi!" Lucy smiled, her golden hair tied up in a side ponytail, her cheeks flushed pink.

Natsu sucked on a breath, "H-Hey," he said.

Lucy frowned at his weird reaction, and he cursed innerly. He was such a mess whenever she was around, he wanted to slap himself until he got over it.

"What were you doing?" Lucy asked, her never-ending curiosity taking over her, something he'd learned over the six months they'd known each other.

"Nothing," he lied.

Her brown eyes narrowed, probably sensing the lack of truth in his words. Her arms crossed under her chest, accidentally lifting up her cleavage. Natsu did everything in him not to stare.

"Tell me right now, Natsu Dragneel." Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"I say it's nothing!" Natsu argued.

Still suspicious, Lucy entered the apartment and placed her bag over the couch. "Where's Gray?"

"With Juvia," Natsu answered.

"Okay then," Lucy said, walking slowly and aimlessly around the apartment, Natsu gulping down as he stared. "What are you hiding here?"

"I say it's nothing," Natsu insisted. "Don't know why you think it's something."

"You're a terrible liar," Lucy said.

Natsu blushed under her accusation, but then he tsked her and looked away, oblivious to the smile playing on her lips.

And yet, he was thankful for her presence, for being there with him even if she had tons of homework and essays and things to study. He still didn't quite figure out the reason of her constant visits, or why the heck she cared enough to spend time with him, but he wouldn't complain. He really liked being with her.

He sometimes felt bad for his previous manners with her, because he sure had been a jerk. He wondered if she had forgiven him or what, because she never mentioned it.

Nyaa.

The sound snapped Natsu out of his thoughts, freezing him and Lucy on their spots.

"Was that… a cat?" Lucy asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

Natsu chuckled nervously. "What are you saying, weirdo. We can't have pets in this building."

"I know," Lucy said. "That's why I'm asking you if you have a cat locked up in your bathroom."

"What an imagination you have," Natsu chuckled.

"Natsu."

"Yes?"

"Open the door."

Knowing he couldn't argue with her threatening tone, Natsu reluctantly obliged, walking the slowest pace towards the closed door, Lucy's piercing gaze fixed on his back.

Shooting a glance at her and seeing she wasn't going to back up, Natsu growled and opened it.

A small blue cat jumped to his arms, obliging him to hold it.

He heard Lucy's hysterical giggled behind him.

"Oh my God," Lucy kept laughing. "You really have a cat."

"And what?" Natsu pursed his lips.

"Why are you always doing things against the rules," Lucy said, walking up to them with a big smile. "I never imagined you were a cat man,"

"Don't say it like that…" Natsu tried to argue hopelessly.

"What's his name?" Lucy asked curiously, petting the blue cat on the head, gaining little meows from it.

"Happy," Natsu said.

"What?" Lucy said, at the edge of bursting into laughter again.

"He's Happy." Natsu glared at her.

Lucy laughed, "That's… that's kinda cute," she said between her giggles.

Natsu's eyes widened, "What?"

"Nothing. And why is he blue?"

Natsu blushed, embarrassed. "It was an accident I swear."

"C'mon, tell me!" Lucy begged. "Please?"

Natsu avoided her gaze, shifting the little animal to his other arm as it purred. "Well…."

He looked into her always curious brown eyes, waiting for him to tell her a story. He never understood why she had that desire to listen to every single story she could. Maybe when she was young her parents always told her bedtime stories, who knew.

"Five years ago, I was doing a new paint to get extra points and it had to be huge one, so I may or may not threw the paint can away out of frustration and Happy may or may not have been in the way…"

"You painted your cat blue?" Lucy summarized.

"Maybe," Natsu offered her a shy smile.

Lucy burst out into laughter, holding her stomach. Natsu tried to ignore the fact that her laughter always seemed to calm him, because it was like a melody to his ears. He'd never admit that, that was for sure. Lucy would tease him so much over it.

"You're hopeless," Lucy said, finally calming down after a few minutes.

Natsu shrugged. "Anyways, you're not gonna tell the owner, right?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Who do you think I am? I'll not betray you, Natsu."

She then walked closer to him, smiling. Her pink lips were up in amused smile as her eyes fixed on the animal between his arms.

"Besides, Happy's pretty cute. Can I hold him?"

Natsu sighed, relaxing. Something about her choice of words calmed him. "Yeah, sure."

He saw how she took the cat out of his embrace, holding him close to her chest. Happy purred, rubbing his little head against her cleavage. The cat was smart.

"He's so soft!" Lucy smiled. "Who would have thought you owned a cat?"

"Hey!" Natsu protested, but he couldn't help but smile at the image too.

"What did you do to make Gray silent?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Blackmail," Natsu answered.

Lucy decided not to ask further. Natsu sighed in relief.

"So, what do you think about cookies?" Lucy asked out of the blue.

Natsu blinked in surprise, thinking she was messing with him, but her eyes had that spark of determination and light that made him go back to the right path, maybe. Besides, Lucy didn't mess with him.

"What do you mean?" Natsu asked, only if to assure her words.

"I'll cook cookies," Lucy said. "Do you want some?"

"S-Sure," he said. "But I don't think we have what you need to-"

Lucy cut him off, holding her bag in front of him with a smug smile. "I'm always prepared,"

"I see," Natsu smiled.

"Now, now, let's go to the kitchen!" Lucy grinned, turned around, and walked up to the refrigerator with the cat on her hands.

"Do you need me to hold Happy?" Natsu asked, following her.

"Nah, it's good." Lucy said. "You're gonna help me cook,"

"What?"

"Yes."

"I don't know how to cook."

"I'll teach you how. Do you always depend on Gray then?"

"No way!"

"But if you don't know how to cook…"

"I don't know how to make cookies, but I can live by myself!"

"You're such a liar,"

"I'm not lying!"

"Yes, you are. Who doesn't know how make cookies?"

"I don't!"

"You're so lame."

"Lucy!"

"You'll be an expert on cookies in no time."

"Tch. I don't need to."

"Are you insinuating you can't?"

"No!"

"Well then. Help me."

"I'm all fired up!"


This is such an horrible chapter I have no words. I'm sorry for being so, so late, my life kinda sucked these last weeks, so... I had no motivation to write... Anyways, thank you so much for your beautiful reviews, and for favoriting and following this story, it makes me so happy!

6 more chapters until the end~